Increasing #self-confidence can be hard to achieve if you don’t know where to start. As challenges occur in our lives, it becomes harder to maintain confidence as we believe more of our negative thoughts than our positive thoughts. Here are three starting points you can take to maximize your self-confidence.
Be #assertive
Being assertive is a communication style in which an individual asserts their own needs and desires while also considering the needs and desires of others. The struggle that most people have with being assertive is saying no. Saying "no" often makes people #anxious because they don’t want to lose the #relationship or make them angry. Having self-confidence when it comes to being assertive means articulating your thoughts and emotions calmly. If you're worried about what to say, plan ahead by writing and practicing what you’re going to say.
#Affirm yourself
Affirmations are brief, effective expressions that are straightforward. Affirmations can also #inspire you to change the way you think and help build self-confidence. One way to affirm yourself is to stop comparing yourself to others. Another way to affirm yourself is to challenge the negative thoughts with affirmation. To challenge your negative thoughts, ask yourself, "Is this thought that I am thinking a fact or an opinion?" If you cannot prove negative thoughts, then affirm them with something #positive.
Set #goals
Going for what you want is a great way to build and self- confidence. Setting goals can bring gratification and make you believe that you can tackle any problem that comes your way. Utilizing SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound) can help make the hardest goals #achievable. Once you have achieved your goal, start by giving yourself credit for taking initiative. Even if you had to seek #assistance or it was difficult, you have achieved the goal and this will increase your #confidence.
Danyel Gipson LPC-Associate
Supervised by Katrina Landry,MA, LPC-S
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